12 May 2006 - International
— In a three-year game of international chess,
the EU and US squared off at the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) in what was billed as a winner takes all
game. At stake, consumer choice about what they
put on their plate: the food they want to eat
or the food genetic engineering companies want
to sell. In the end, the game ended with no clear
winner.
The US, with support from Canada and Argentina,
wanted the EU to accept its genetically engineered
(GE) produce. The EU responded to its citizens'
wishs and opted for a more precautionary approach
to GE food. The WTO, while admitting that it could
not decide whether GE food is safe or not, still
decided that it was the best judge of what the
citizens of Europe should be eating.
"All this verdict proves
is that the WTO is unqualified to deal with complex
scientific and environmental issues, as it puts
trade interests above all others. Its only effect
has been to reinforce the determination of EU
countries to resist bullying by pro-genetic-engineering
governments and to say no to GE crops and food,"
said Eric Gall, Greenpeace EU policy adviser.
Both the EU and US will attempt
to spin the verdict in their favour in this case.
In reality, the final ruling by the WTO has given
neither side in the dispute a clear victory.
The pawns in this battle are
the European farmers, consumers and even the EU
member states that want to maintain their right
to determine whether or not they want GE crops
to contaminate their fields and food.
As the chess game was being
played the rest of the world simply did what their
citizens wanted. More and more countries implemented
bans on GE organisms. So far 12 bans on specific
GE organisms are already in place in seven countries.
Even as the WTO handed down its ruling, Poland
is forging ahead with plans to ban the trade and
growing of GE seed.
Poland is the second largest
agricultural producer in the EU and their act
of solidarity with farmers and consumers across
the EU and beyond sends a strong signal that Poland
and Europe have chosen the road of GE-free rather
than contamination by GE crops.
After three years, the wrangling
at the WTO is over for now. But the ruling won't
silence the resistance to GE in Europe, and individual
governments are likely to defy the WTO for as
long as their people remain opposed to being force-fed
products that are unsafe for the environment.
